The sister
by tinystarkitten
Summary: DUN DUN DUN! Shuichi's little sister besides Maiko has come back from studying overseas! And she wants to join her brother's band. While dealing with her monsterous childhood crush. what happens? Eh... You'll see... pairing develop.
1. Chapter 1

Hello people! This is my first Gravi fic, so HUZZAH! (Well, besides "When all else fails, blame the youngest", but that's a crossover, so yeah). Anyway, this is going to based more on the anime than the manga because while I've seen all of the anime, I've only read the first two manga :sweat drop: also, I don't think I wrote a single word of this chapter when I was fully awake so yeah...

Expect frequent switches between the names Suguru and Fujisaki.

* * *

"Shindou is laaaate..." Sakano said, stopping mid-spin to check his watch for the twelfth time that minute.

"Calm down Mr. Sakano. He did say that he had to pick up his little sister from the airport today. She's been studying overseas in America for three years you know." Hiro said lazily, tuning his guitar.

"He never said anything about that to me!" Sakano cried, completely panicking.

"Actually, he did. He told all of us yesterday when he asked Mr. K for a ride." Suguru said, equally as lazily as Hiro.

"Okay, well... that's not the only thing I'm worried about! Have you seen our latest reviews?" Sakano magically produced a stack of papers from his coat and started reading them aloud. "'Excellent, but still missing something' ... 'Bad Luck could be a lot better if it weren't for a certain, unnamable element that's missing' ... 'The music just doesn't seem complete.'" Hiro and Fujisaki exchanged nervous glances.

"Hi guys!" Shuichi shouted, bursting into the studio, K right behind him. A girl followed K, and then tried to hide behind Shuichi. "This is my sister, Aki." He said, stepping out of the way to reveal a girl that looked almost exactly like him, but with shoulder-length hair and blue-dyed bangs.

"Do they have guns too, big brother?" Aki asked Shuichi in a suspicious tone, eyeing Fujisaki and Sakano.

"Guns?" Sakano asked, confused.

"Erm, K sort of stuck his gun in her back to make her get in the van." Shuichi explained.

"Hey, she was refusing to get in, what else could I do?" K told them innocently. Well, as innocently as a man who had made a girl enter his van at gun point could.

"You could've let me talk to my brother instead of threatening to shoot me." Aki snarled.

"It's not like I would've shot you." K defended himself. Aki looked slightly relieved at that. "Not with that many witnesses anyway." He added quietly.

**AWKWARD SILENCE! **

"Hey Aki. Long time no see." Hiro piped up, breaking silent tension that had been building up. The girl looked at him and smiled shyly, a slight blush pinking her cheeks.

"Hiro. Hi." She said as her eyes shot down to look at her feet.

_Crap, she still likes me._ Hiro thought to himself while smiling at the girl. "Hey, you're a lot taller than I remember." He pointed out.

"Well Hiro, you wouldn't expect me to stay twelve forever." Aki said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I was at least expecting your hair to stay the same color." Hiro said, pointing at her bangs.

"My friend did it, okay?" She said defensively.

"Okay Aki, I didn't bring you here to argue with Hiro. I wanted to introduce you to Fujisaki and Mr. Sakano." Shuichi piped up, trying to stop a potential disaster. He knew how his sister could easily get carried away.

"Fine. So, who's who?" Aki sighed, crossing her arms.

"I'm Mr. Sakano, Bad Luck's producer." The bespectacled man told her.

"Hello." Aki said, bowing politely. "So, if you're Mr. Sakano, then that means that you're Fujisaki." she turned toward Suguru.

"Pleased to meet you." the teen said, bowing. Aki smiled and bowed back.

"Okay, that's enough." K said impatiently, catching the teens' attention. "Do you need a ride home, Aki?"

"Oh, well, I kind of would like to stay here and watch you guys rehearse. Well, if that's okay." she answered.

"Well of cour-" Shuichi started, but was promptly cut off by Hiro.

"No." he said flatly. Aki looked hurt.

"But why not?" she asked him.

"We don't want a girl polluting our air." He said.

"No, seriously Hiro, why?" She demanded putting her hands on her hips, her expression changing to angry.

"Because." He said simply.

"Because _why_ Hiroshi?" She was starting to sound like his mother.

"Because no one's allowed to watch us practice, that's why."

"Actually Hiro, there was that one time when Miss Ayaka..." Shuichi started

"That was _different_." Hiro hissed, causing Shuichi to shut up.

"Well, if this Ayaka person was allowed to watch you guys practice, I don't see why I can't!" Aki was starting to lose her temper.

"Don't yell at me!" Hiro spat back.

"You're changing the subject!" Aki shouted.

"Okay fine! The answer is still no!"

"But _why_?"

"BECAUSE A BRAT LIKE YOU WOULD ONLY DISTRACT US!"

Aki snarled, and would've pounced on the man if Shuichi hadn't held her back.

"H-hey Aki, just calm down and breathe." Shuichi told her.

"I wanna go home now." she mumbled. Shuichi sighed in relief and let her go.

"Bye guys." He said, an exasperated smile on his face. He and K followed Aki out of the room and into a hallway.

"Annoying brat." Hiro mumbled once they had left. Fujisaki and Sakano stared at him. "What?" He asked innocently.

"I've never seen you act like that." Fujisaki said, an almost-but-not-quite scared look in his eyes.

"Yeah, you're usually the pacifist out of the rest of us." Sakano added

"What's wrong?" Suguru asked.

"Nothing. It's just... Aki and I, we..." He paused a moment and sighed. "Well, let's just say we have an interesting relationship." He looked up at the ceiling and remembered that day.

"Shuichi, Shuichi!" An eleven-year-old Aki slammed open the door to her house and ran inside, trying to find her brother. She walked through all the rooms, unable to find him-or anyone for that matter. She knew that she had outrun Maika, who had come to pick her up and escort her home. It wasn't safe for an elementary school kid to be running around by herself, after all. Not that it mattered to Aki that day, she was as excited as a sixth grader could get.

"Brother?" She peeked into Shuichi's room and found him sitting there with Hiroshi, his best friend. They were talking about their band.

"Oh, hi Aki." Shuichi said, smiling at his younger sister.

"Shuichi! You know how you said that I could join yours and Hiro's band if I could think of something to do in it? Well, I just thought of it today, I could be a drummer!" She told them, grinning ear to ear.

The boys exchanged looks. Truthfully, they had told her that so she would maybe spend a day or two thinking about it, then just give up the idea of joining altogether. The two had already planned it out. Shuichi would sing and do the synth and Hiro would play guitar. Sure, they hadn't even written their first song yet, but they knew that they would not need a drummer. Especially not Aki.

"I'm sorry but..." Shuichi started. He wanted to let her down gently.

"You can't join." Hiro finished. There was no remorse in his voice whatsoever.

"Wh-what?" Aki asked disbelievingly, tears stinging at her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Shuichi repeated. But Aki didn't hear him. Her eyes were fixed on Hiro. The man she loved had just told her no, simple and straight. She turned around and left silently.

That night, Hiro had been invited to stay for dinner. Halfway through, Aki announced that she wanted to go overseas for middle school. She said that she wasn't confident that she was going to pass the entrance exams and was, frankly, interested in America. Besides, a few years in the country would be better than any English class offered in Japan.

"You do know that Americans start middle school in sixth grade and enter high school in ninth, right?" Her mother reminded her.

"So? It's still the same grades." She pointed out. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Shindou approved of the idea and, although she had passed her exams with flying colors, Aki was off to America for three years.

* * *

Yeah... the first chapter. Let me know what you think. 


	2. Chapter 2

In K's van, an uncomfortable silence had fallen over Shuichi and his little sister.

"So, Aki, um, tell me about this Aurora you wrote to me about." Shuichi spoke up, trying to make conversation.

"I've told you just about everything I know about her." Aki mumbled.

"Oh." Shuichi said, then wracked his brains for something else to say.

"I don't really want to talk about anything right now." Aki said, as if reading Shuichi's thoughts.

"Oh, um, sorry then. I won't bug you." said Shuichi quietly, averting his eyes.

"We're here." K announced after a few more moments of silence. Aki thanked K for the ride, said goodbye to her brother, opened the door of the van and got out.

Halfway back to NG studios, K noticed that Shuichi was unusually quiet. And not the quiet that would befall him if he were afraid of being shot by his trigger-happy manager.

"Something wrong?" he asked the singer.

"It's just... Aki. She looked so sad." Shuichi told the man. "She's usually really happy. This is so unlike her." In fact, the only other time Shuichi had seen his little sister look so hurt was when he and Hiro had turned her down the day she figured that she could be the drummer for Bad Luck.

K had nothing to say. He didn't know the girl (although her friend's name had sounded awfully familiar), so what could he say about this odd behavior? Sure he had expected her to be hyper, after all she _was_ Shuichi's sister, but he also knew that some siblings are as different as night and day.

Moments later, Shuichi walked into the recording studio, though not as happy as he was last time he had done so.

"Come on, let's get this over with. I have a date with Ayaka later." Hiro told his friend, still annoyed from Aki's visit.

"Let's get started." Shuichi said glumly. Hiro and Suguru nodded and started playing.

**LATER!**

"Stupid Hiro, stupid brother, stupid American manager whose name is one letter long." Aki muttered, walking along the streets by herself. She knew it wasn't smart, seeing as it was going to be dark soon and she was a fifteen-year-old girl walking around alone. But she wanted to see her old town again, or at least that's what she had told her parents. She was really just sulking, wanting to be alone. After awhile more of walking, she saw Zenny's up ahead. It used to be her favorite restaurant. Her mouth started watering at the memory of her favorite foods being cooked up by the talented chefs that work there.

Surely stopping in for a bite to eat wouldn't hurt. It might even make her feel better.

As she passed the windows to get to the door, she saw a young couple having dinner together. The girl was very pretty and the man looked very familiar.

"It can't be." Aki said to herself, stopping into her tracks and taking another look at the couple in the window. "It's Hiro! With another woman!"

At the sight, Aki ran into the restaurant and dashed over to Hiro's table.

"Hiroshi Nakano!" she said loudly, placing her fists on her hips and glaring down at him. Hiro looked up and groaned inwardly.

"Hey Aki!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Don't 'hi Aki' me! Who is this?" The teen demanded, pointing at the brown haired girl.

"Um, Hiro..." The girl started, curious for an explanation.

"This is Ayaka, my _girlfriend_." Hiro told Aki, a cold kind of seriousness in his voice. "Ayaka, this is Shuichi's little sister, Aki." Hiro's voice changed to kind and sweet as he talked to his girlfriend.

"Pleased to meet you." Ayaka greeted as kindly as she could. She had the feeling that Aki wasn't exactly going to be friendly toward her by her own will.

"Yeah, yeah." Aki said, not listening to what she had to say. "Hiro, why didn't you tell me about this... _woman_?" she spat. Hiro sighed and stood up.

"We'll be right back Ayaka." Hiro said, standing up and grabbing Aki's arm. He dragged her out of earshot from Ayaka who figured that she had better not ask questions and just eat.

"Aki, what is _wrong _with you?" Hiro spat at the girl.

"You were-" Aki started.

"I was taking her out to dinner because she's my _girlfriend_, Aki. Couples tend to do that from time to time." He cut her off.

"But what about me?" she asked, close to tears.

"Aki, you are my best friend's sister. I'm sorry, but I've never had feelings for you. I doubt I ever will." His tone softened as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Aki, you're a pretty girl and I'm sure there are guys out there who would love to have you."

"Well then-"

"But I'm not one of them. We've all changed over these past few years Aki, you have to realize that." He smiled at her, but she looked back up at him with tears stinging her eyes, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

"I hate you Hiroshi!" She shouted before running out of the restaurant.

"Aki!" He called after her. He considered chasing her, but realized it was no use. She was like her brother when it came to things like this. She was going to sulk for awhile, but she'd get over it soon enough. The only thing that would make her feel better sooner was requited love, but Hiro wasn't about to agree to that anytime soon.

Feeling guilty now, he sighed and headed back to his girlfriend.

"Is she going to be all right?" Ayaka asked once Hiro had sat down.

"Yeah, she'll probably sulk for a day or two, then bounce back to her normal happy self. She's Shuichi's sister, after all." He told her with a smile.

"That's good to hear." She smiled and continued eating her food.

**MEANWHILE! **

Aki walked along the streets sobbing. Hiro's words echoed in her mind over and over again. She knew he had been trying to sound nice, but that certainly wasn't how it felt. She had managed to hold in her tears until she was outside. She didn't like crying in public because everyone would stare at her or bug her about what was wrong.

A light above her clicked on. She looked up to see that the streetlights were turning on.

"Shit, mom and dad are going to be mad if I'm not home soon." Aki said to herself, wiping her eyes. She took off running. A few random turns and dead ends later, however, she realized that she had completely forgotten her way around her old home town. The sky was completely black now, and Aki was getting scared.

"Where am I?" she muttered quietly, a fresh wave of tears falling down her face. She thought of using her cell phone to call her house, but then she realized she hadn't brought it with her.

"What's the use of one of those things if you don't have them when you need them?" She shouted, smacking herself in the head. Realizing that she had no other option, she ran off to find a payphone. She had just rounded a corner, however when she ran into someone and fell down.

"Ow!" they both said in unison. She looked up to see that she had bumped into a man, but she couldn't see his face. Scared, she scooted backwards until she was under a streetlight.

"Hey! I know you!" said the man.

"Y-you do?" Aki asked, scared.

"Yeah, you're Shindou-san's little sister." He said, stepping into the light as well. Aki's eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Hey! You're that keyboardist guy in my brother's band!" She exclaimed with relief.

"Suguru Fujisaki." He reminded her, helping her up.

"Thank god. I thought you were some kind of rapist or something." She sighed. Fujisaki laughed.

"No, I'm not. So why are you out here alone at night anyway?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh, um, I'm lost. I guess I don't remember these streets as well as I thought I did." She admitted with embarrassment.

"Well, I'd be happy to walk you home. Where do you live?" He asked politely. Aki told him the street she lived on and he blinked. "Um..."

"You have no clue where it is, do you?" Aki asked, sweatdropping.

"No... But I can take you to your brother's house if you want. You can probably call your parents from there." He suggested.

"Do I want to know how you know where my brother lives?" Aki asked, sweatdropping.

"Oh, we've had to drag him from his house on occasion when, for some reason or another, he refused to come to work." Suguru laughed.

"I see." Aki responded, looking at the ground. The two walked in silence for a while. Aki was fairly certain that if anything was to happen, Suguru probably wouldn't be much help, he looked pretty wimpy. But for some reason, she felt much safer now that she was walking with him. Perhaps it was because she wasn't alone anymore, or perhaps it was something else. But whatever the reason, being with him made her forget all about Hiroshi, even if it was just for the moment.

"We're here." Fujisaki announced suddenly. Aki was snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at the door in front her. She knew that Shuichi was living with a man named Yuki, and she knew that the two men were lovers. Not that it mattered much to her, many things that had happened in America made her approve of gay people. But it was meeting the man named Yuki that was making her nervous. From what Shuichi had wrote about him, he wasn't exactly the friendliest of people.

Aki gulped as she reached out to knock on the door.

**EARLIER!**

Sakano walked into the bar just before sunset. Tohma Seguchi had told him to meet him there after he was done working. Of course, Sakano never stopped working (hell, he practically _lived_ at the NG building), but he made sure to find time to meet his boss. And sure enough, there at the bar was Tohma, waiting for him.

"Ah! M-mr. Seguchi. You told me to meet you here?" he stuttered. Tohma smiled at him.

"Yes Mr. Sakano. Please sit down." He said, gesturing to the stool next to him. Sakano obeyed. "Would you like a drink?" Seguchi offered. Sakano looked at him in surprise.

"Oh! Um, o-okay." he answered as he ordered a drink. A moment later it came and Sakano reached for his wallet. Tohma grabbed his hand.

"It's on me." He said smiling. Sakano blushed ever-so-slightly.

"A-are you sure? Because, I mean, I can-" he started. But Tohma shook his head.

"I'm sure." he said. And with that, he took out his wallet and paid the bartender.

"Thank you sir." Sakano said, not looking at the other man.

"You're welcome. But on to more pressing matters. Do you know why I called for you to meet me today?" Tohma said, his face becoming more serious, although his smile refused to disappear.

"Ah, n-no, I'm not sure I do." Sakano answered, now gaining the courage to sneak a side-glance at the man.

"It's about Bad Luck. I believe you've read their latest reviews?" Tohma asked. The nervousness within Sakano disappeared, and he looked the other man directly in the eyes as he nodded.

"Yes. They kept saying there was a missing element in the music." he informed the president.

"Yes, I've read them too. And after giving it some thought, I think I might know what that element is." he paused for a moment, his eyes drilling into Sakano's as if he were trying to see if he knew too. "You see, my cousin is very good at the synthesizer. Very, very good. And he is capable of producing very close to what we need. But as good as he is, it's the instrument itself that can't produce the real thing." He paused again, to see if Sakano was following. "It's like how Bad Luck wouldn't be nearly as successful if it weren't for Mr. Nanako. A guitar is a guitar. And a synth is a synth. I play one myself, as you know, and I've tried to replace the sound of a guitar with my instrument. But it isn't the same as a real one."

"So you're saying that Bad Luck needs a new instrument?" Sakano guessed. Tohma smiled happily.

"Yes, very good." he rewarded. Sakano beamed. "And someone to play it." He added. "Bad Luck needs a drummer."

* * *

Bwahaha! Hinted SakanoxTohma. Don'tcha love me:evil grin:

Oh, and about that one part where Fujisaki says Shindou-san instead of Mr. Shindou: Shindou-san just sounded better. So there.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all! I just wanted to let you know that this story I am writing is merely a preqel. That's right, it's a prequel. To CeaselessChasm's fan fic entitled The Niece. It's when one of Aki's friends comes to Japan. It doesn't have spoilers for this fic, other than what's (hopefully) already been made obvious.

* * *

Aki knocked on the door. After a few moments Shuichi opened it to see his band mate and little sister. 

"Aki?" he asked.

"Who is it?" came a disgruntled voice from inside.

"It's my sister and Fujisaki." Shuichi answered.

"Actually, I was just escorting Aki here. I'm going now." Suguru told him before turning on his heel to leave.

"Er, just my sister." Shuichi called again.

"What does she want?" the voice asked.

"Come in Aki. I want you to meet Yuki." Shu said cheerfully. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her inside and into the living room where a blonde man was sitting on the couch. The man looked at the two for a moment.

"I told you to ask what she wants, not bring her inside." He said.

"But Yuki, she's my sister." Shuichi whined, hugging Aki.

"Well, I figured as much. You two look nearly identical. But that still doesn't mean she can be here."

"But Yuki..." Shuichi whimpered. The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me." Aki spoke up. Yuki and Shuichi looked at her. "My name is Aki. It's a great honor to have the chance to meet you Mr. Yuki." She said bowing.

"Quite the kiss-up, are we?" Yuki said. Aki blushed with embarrassment. She looked at him again.

Blonde hair, light eyes. He certainly didn't look Japanese. But she knew he was. In fact, he looked very familiar...

"Brother, I need to talk to you." She said quietly. She grabbed Shuichi's arm and dragged him outside. Yuki rolled his eyes and went back to watching TV

"What is it?" Shuichi asked once they were out of the house.

"Why didn't you tell me your lover was a famous novelist?" Aki demanded. Her brother blinked.

"I thought you didn't like those kinds of gushy romance books. How do you know who Yuki is?" he asked.

"I didn't like them until Maika started sending his books to me while I was in America. For so long I've wanted to meet the famous Eiri Yuki, and here you are, living with him without even telling me!" She shouted. Shuichi sweatdropped.

"A-Aki..." He started.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, near tears.

"Ugh, Aki. Please don't throw a fit. It's not that big of a deal." Shuichi said, patting her shoulder.

"But you wouldn't even tell me who he was! I can't even trust my own brother anymore! Oh, my life is nothing! I might as well just kill myself!" She cried, suddenly producing a magnum and holding it to her head.

"Akiwheredidyougetthatgun!" Shuichi asked, panicking and trying to pry it from her hand.

"I snuck it from your manager when he wasn't looking." She answered, looking at him with an innocent face.

"Well then, you might as well shoot yourself in the head now, because he's definitely going to after he finds that you took it." Shu explained. Aki looked at him with wide eyes.

"R-really?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." Shuichi answered confidently. Aki pushed the magnum into his hands. He grinned and pocketed it.

"... You still didn't answer my question." Aki said after a moment. Shuichi looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me that you were dating Eiri Yuki?"

"You know, I haven't really thought about it that much." Her brother answered, his face becoming more serious. "It's just that... To me, he's just Yuki. He could be a famous novelist or a jobless bum, I wouldn't care. Just so long as he's Yuki." Aki cocked her head to one side with a confused look on her face. Shuichi noticed it and chuckled. "You'll get it when you're older. Let's go back inside now. I need a shower. I smell really bad!"

Aki made a face of disgust, but followed her brother inside.

"Hey Yuki! I'm taking a shower now!" Shuichi announced as he stepped inside.

"So what? Do you need help or something?" Yuki grunted from the couch.

"Yuki, my sister's here! Don't embarrass me!" Shuichi said, blushing. His face however, had a very mischievous smile on it that didn't look embarrassed at all. He then headed into the bathroom to commence his shower.

When the water had started and Shuichi's voice was filling the house with his sweet singing, Aki turned to Yuki.

"Hi." She said awkwardly. The man merely looked at her. "So... um... I'm a big fan of your novels. They're very romantic. I like them a lot."

"Yeah? You and every housewife in Japan." The man answered coldly. Aki blinked.

"R-really? Um..." She wracked her brain for something to say. It wasn't everyday she got to sit next to a famous novelist and have the chance to talk to him. Although she had hoped that he would have been a little nicer. "You really are a great author. You know, I was thinking of being a writer when I-"

"You can stop kissing my ass now; it's not getting you anywhere." Yuki cut her off. She looked surprised for a moment, but she quickly glared at him.

"I hope you don't talk to Shuichi like that." She said.

"And what if I do?" He responded.

"Look Mr. Eiri Yuki, if you hurt my brother in anyway, physically or emotionally, I will have your head in a jar on my night stand." She said with a hint of evil in her voice that sounded as if she really meant it.

"Spare me, please. I've heard that already. Look, if I wanted to hurt him, I would've done so by now. I have no reason to do anything to that damn brat. Besides, even if I _killed_ him, his ghost would still follow me everywhere." Yuki told her. Although his voice had no audible change in it, she could tell he meant what he said.

"Yeah, yeah..." She muttered. Just then, Shuichi stopped singing and the water stopped running. The young man peeked his head into the living room but didn't come in.

"Yuki, do we have any clean towels? There aren't-" He was promptly cut off by his lover getting off of the couch, striding over to him in two seconds flat, and planting a long, passionate kiss on his lips. Aki blushed at the sight, unsure of what to do.

When Eiri pulled away, he looked at the girl, holding Shuichi at his side. Shuichi was blushing as he tried to cover himself.

"There now. Is there any more doubt you have?" He asked, a rare smile across his face. Aki shook her head.

"Hey Aki. You should call mom and dad, let them know that you're staying here overnight." Shuichi piped up, trying to get away so he could put on a towel.

"When did I say she could spend the night?" Yuki said harshly, pulling Shuichi closer.

"Because it's dark and too late for Aki to go home." Shuichi answered happily.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Aki asked.

"What you don't want to be with your brother?" Shuichi asked, his eyes getting watery. Aki hung her head in guilt.

"Well if you put it that way..." She mumbled.

"Yay!" Shuichi exclaimed, finally escaping from Yuki. He left to get a towel. Yuki turned to go after him, but looked back at Aki.

"If you end up staying, just be prepared to hear... noises... tonight." He said before going off to follow the boy. Aki cocked her head to the side, wondering what he meant.

**ONE PHONE CALL AND A FEW HOURS LATER!**

Aki lay awake on the couch, eyes opened wide as she blushed ferociously. How could two men make so much _noise?_ Just the moaning alone was loud enough, but the pounding... Aki wouldn't be surprised if Japan was consumed by a tsunami because of it. She suddenly understood what Eiri had warned her about.

**NEXT MORNING!**

Aki was awoken by someone poking her cheek.

"Uhn." She grunted, turning on her other side. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep due to the "noises" that her brother and his boyfriend had been making last night.

"Wakey wakey little sister!" Shuichi said in a hushed voice. "You're going to work with me again today."

"Five more minutes..." Aki moaned, burying her head in her pillow.

"But you have to get up." Shuichi whispered.

"Leave me alone brother!" Aki snapped, taking her pillow and whacking the man with it.

"Shhh! Yuki's still asleep." Shuichi told his sister, holding his finger to his lips.

"Sorry." Aki mumbled, sitting up groggily and rubbing her eyes.

"It's all right, just so long as you can get dressed in five minutes" Shuichi whispered. Aki nodded and went into the bathroom to change out of her brother's shirt and put on the clothes she had worn yesterday. She splashed some cold water on her face to help wake her up and went to the door where Shuichi was waiting. They left and made their way to NG studios.

"Shuichi, are you sure it's all right to take me with you?" Aki asked while they were waiting for a light.

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Shuichi queried.

"Well, I'm a distraction, aren't I? I mean, I don't work there or anything and-"

"Aki, don't let what Hiro said get you down." Shuichi interrupted. "You wouldn't be a distraction. Besides, I can't take you home. Mom and Dad might still be asleep. It _is_ Saturday after all. So there's no point in having you go home." he smiled down at her.

"Yes brother." She replied as the light changed.

**MOMENTS LATER!**

"Shindou-san!" Shuichi was tackled to the ground by Sakano once he and his sister had stepped inside the building. "Shindou-san, it's terrible! Absolutely terrible!" The man wailed.

"What's terrible Mr. Sakano?" Shuichi asked.

"Bad Luck... we found what's wrong. What the critics said was missing." Sakano said.

"Well that's a good thing, isn't it?" Shuichi said, attempting to push Sakano off of him.

"Not really! It requires a new member first of all, and second, Fujisaki isn't exactly thrilled over the idea!" Sakano cried, not moving from his spot on Shuichi's stomach. At this point, Aki was assisting her brother by pulling the man's arm.

"It requires a new member huh? And what could it be that would make Fujisaki upset?" Shuichi grunted, pushing with all his might and Aki pulling as hard as she could.

"According to Mr. Seguchi, Bad Luck needs... A drummer!" At the last two words, Sakano was finally dislodged and he tumbled backwards.

"Why would the addition of a drummer make Fujisaki mad?" Aki queried as the three made their way to the recording studio.

"Well, when I mentioned it, he just went off saying how his cousin doesn't know anything and that Bad Luck doesn't need any extra members." Sakano recalled. Once they had found their way to the recording studio they were greeted by a flying chair.

"And if he even thinks for one SECOND that we'll agree to such a PREPOSTEROUS idea, he doesn't know WHAT he's got coming!" It turned out to be Suguru who had thrown the chair and was now stomping around the studio in large circles. K and Hiro were hiding under a table. Shuichi wondered why K wasn't currently firing rounds with his magnum aimed at the boy, but then he remembered that _he_ had it in his pocket after Aki had stolen it last night. He was planning on giving it to him today. But not now.

Aki cleared her throat to announce the arrival of the three. Suguru looked up, saw the girl, and immediately stopped his rampage.

"H-hello there miss Shindou." He greeted with an embarrassed blush. "Ah, please forgive my behavior just now, I was a bit worked up, you see, and-"

"That's nice." Aki cut him off, walking into the studio and placing a hand on his shoulder. Hiro and K stared at her from under the table as if she were about to commit suicide. "Now why don't you just sit down and tell me why you don't want an extra band member." She said soothingly, sitting him down in a random chair.

"It's just that... It's not so much the idea of a new member that bugs me, but the fact that we need an extra instrument. It's like Mr. Seguchi doesn't think I can do it on my own. I can create the beat just fine without the help of a drum set." The boy said calmly enough to make Hiro and K crawl out of their hiding spots.

"That's not true!" Sakano spoke out, turning attention to him. "Mr. Seguchi told me himself. He said that sometimes it's just not the same without the real thing. It's not about how talented the synth player is, it's how the music _feels_."

"He's got a point, you know." Hiro piped up, "I mean, I've heard more Nittle Grasper songs than I can count, and I've heard how Tohma and Noriko have added the sound of a guitar into the mix. But in my opinion, it doesn't compare to the real guitar in our songs."

"Yeah!" Shuichi shouted in agreement.

"So Suguru, have you changed your opinion yet?" Aki asked him, removing her hand from his shoulder. He looked at his folded hands in his lap.

"I guess you guys have a point." He admitted with reluctance.

"Good. Now that that's settled, I'll be happy to fill the position as the drummer for Bad Luck!" Aki announced cheerily. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"Hell no you won't." Hiro said. "We've already had this discussion Aki. Besides, you don't know how to play the drums."

"Shows how much you know Hiro. I played drums in America. I was even in a band with Aurora. Sure it was the school jazz band, but it was still a band!" Aki retorted.

"Well then, let's see what you can do." K said, handing the girl a pair of drumsticks and pointing a drum set in the corner of the studio.

"When did that get there?" Shuichi wondered aloud.

"I had it brought in earlier. We were going to announce auditions later today and had to be prepared for the early comers." Sakano said. Shuichi responded with a small nod.

"All right!" Aki exclaimed, already behind the set and twirling the sticks between her fingers "Let's see what this baby can do!"


	4. Chapter 4

It felt just it did before. The drumsticks in her hand, the sound resonating from the drums... She could almost hear the music accompanying Aurora's bass guitar. Aki made the beat and Aurora made the melody. Everyone in the jazz band had known the two as "the magic pair". In fact, the teacher would give them duets to perform on occasion when concerts were scheduled.

Aki closed her eyes as she played, almost hearing Aurora's guitar right next to her. It felt that if she opened her eyes, she'd see her American friend sitting next to her. As the memory of the pair became more and more vibrant in Aki's mind, the guitar grew louder and louder. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd think that Aurora really _was_ sitting next her, that she really _was_ playing her guitar.

Aki opened her eyes and nearly dropped her sticks at what she saw. There was Hiro, not sitting, but standing, playing his guitar right next to her. She glanced around the room and saw Fujisaki behind his keyboard, playing a melody that accompanied Hiro's guitar perfectly. The only thing that was missing was Shuichi's voice. Of course he wasn't going to sing because it was a song made up on the spot, and it wasn't as if he needed to perform this time.

Eventually, the song ended and the three were applauded by the others in the room.

"That was great little sister!" Shuichi exclaimed.

"It seems you do know your shit." K commented.

"Absolutely wonderful!" Sakano shouted, near tears.

"I'd have to agree with you on that." came a voice. Everyone looked at the door to see Tohma Seguchi. "It seems I was correct on assuming what the missing element Bad Luck needed was, eh?"

"M-mr. president!" Sakano said in surprise, bowing. Aki's ears perked up at what Sakano had said.

"President? As in Tohma Seguchi? As in _the_ Tohma Seguchi? As in the keyboardist for Nittle Grasper?" Aki asked.

"That would be me." Tohma answered, smiling. "You are Shindou-san's younger sister, correct?"

"U-um, yes..." Aki stuttered, amazed that such a famous man was standing before her and that he knew who she was.

"Yes, I thought so. Mr. Sakano mentioned you last night when we were out for dinner." He cast a glance at the bespectacled man who was blushing. "And anyway, I can see you have talent like your brother. Not the same kind of talent, but it's just as great. Not to mention it's exactly the kind of talent I was looking for."

Aki stared at him, slightly confused at Tohma's wording. "Um... okay?"

"That's great." Suguru said. Everyone looked at him. "Better it be Shindou-chan than some crazy fangirl who can barely keep a beat." It was then that it hit Aki.

"Wait, you actually want me to join Bad Luck?" she asked Tohma.

"Of course. The band needed a drummer, and it seems as though we found the right person for the job on the first try." He answered. There was a moment of silence before Aki started shivering.

"Ha! Take THAT Hiroshi Nakano!" She shouted suddenly, pointing at the guitarist. Everyone but Hiro looked shocked at the outburst. Hiro merely blinked.

"Congratulations Aki." was all he said before taking off his guitar and walking out of the room.

"Hiro..." Shuichi breathed before following his friend. The others watched him leave.

"Well there goes half the band. They probably won't be back either." K sighed. "I think I'll go then. I have press conference to schedule anyway."

"Press conference?" Sakano asked.

"Well yeah. We need to announce our new member, don't we?" K answered, jerking his thumb in Aki's direction before leaving.

"Ah right!" Sakano said, following K out of the studio.

"I'm afraid I must go too." Tohma said. "I have to rehearse with Nittle Grasper today and I need to track down Ryuichi. Suguru, I trust you can, er, tidy up this mess you made?" He said with an ever-so-slightly sadistic smile before leaving as well. Fujisaki sighed.

"Yes sir." he grumbled. He then commenced in re-organizing the chairs that had been strewn about the room.

"Uh, here let me help." Aki said, assisting him in gathering the chairs and papers of sheet music that were cluttering the floor.

"You really don't have to." Suguru told her.

"Yes I do. I mean, it is my fault after all, and also you helped me find my brother's place last night." Aki replied.

"How is it your fault?" Suguru questioned.

"Well, you threw a fit because Tohma suggested that the band needed a new member and I am that new member." She answered.

"That's not your fault, it's Seguchi-san's." Suguru pointed out. Aki thought about for a moment.

"Eh, I guess you're right. But still, you helped me last night. I owe you." she said. He nodded. "By the way, what were you doing anyway, just walking around?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He said.

"Why?"

"Because my life sucks."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it does." he sighed. "Shindou-chan, you must understand. My whole family is in on the music business. I mean, Seguchi-san is my cousin and he's famous, now here I am, growing as popular if not more than him. My parents are loaded with cash, for different reasons, but still loaded, and the kids in my family are taught to play the piano at a very young age."

"Oh yeah, that sounds so hard." Aki said sarcastically.

"I'm serious! It's very frustrating. My parents are real rich stiffs that don't let me do a whole lot, not that I have much to do anyway. Also, I'm the only one in this band who does any work; a lot of it I have to do at home on top of my schoolwork. I take walks to relieve stress and as much as I would like to take them in the daytime, I get spotted too easily. And not just by my fans, but Seguchi-san's as well."

"Ouch." Aki muttered.

"And you'll know what it's like soon enough." he added.

"Yeah, I guess so..." She hadn't thought about that. That being famous isn't all fun and games; you also have to deal with crazed fans, paparazzi, and, at her age, school on top of it all.

She stacked the sheet music and placed it on a table. "Well, looks like we're done."

"Yup, seems so. I guess we're free for the day then."

"Yeah." An awkward silence fell between them as they walked out of the room. Suguru took a breath.

"Hey, you want to do something?" he asked, his cheeks pinking slightly. Aki looked at him.

"Sure. What else do I have to do?" She answered. Fujisaki smiled. They then left the building together, going somewhere where he wouldn't be noticed.

**MEANWHILE!**

"Hiro?" Shuichi found his friend sitting on the stairs in the stairwell, playing an air-guitar.

"Mm?" he responded, not looking at the pink-haired man.

"You don't want Aki to join, do you?" He asked, sitting down next to the guitarist, watching his fingers.

"It's not what I want. If Seguchi says she should join, then she should join."

"Hiro, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when Fujisaki joined."

"Yeah, but Fujisaki doesn't love you." Shuichi nodded, not taking his eyes off his friend's fingers. "I want new world..." He sung in English. Hiro cast him a side glance. His friend was now singing the rest of the song softly next to him while Hiro fingered the notes.

The two just sat there, playing the song that had made them famous in the first place. Of course, anyone passing by would only hear Shuichi singing, but to the pair, the song was playing full out, the original, the one they had done before even Fujisaki had created a new mix of it. They both closed their eyes and saw the crowd of fans below them, screaming for more, screaming for _them_. Shuichi Shindou _and_ Hiroshi Nakano. And it was then, as Hiro strummed his silent, invisible guitar with his best friend in the world sitting next to him, singing their song, that he remembered why they had both started the band. It was their love of music and their friendship, not their lust for individual fame. What did it matter who joined their band? So long as the music was good, and that Bad Luck was _theirs_, nothing else mattered. They had each other, and they had their music and that was all that counted.

**THE NEXT DAY!**

"Hey Aki, good see you again!" a girl cried out, running up to the Shindou girl. She was a short girl with light-colored hair. Not Eiri Yuki light, but it was lighter than a normal Japanese girl's hair. She was listening to an MP3 player that she turned down as she approached.

"Oh hi Aru-chan! I didn't even recognize you. Your glasses are gone." Aki replied.

"Yeah, I got contacts. Your hair is different."

"Hm? Oh yeah. My friends in America made me dye my bangs blue. But I must say I like it."

"Yeah, it looks good on you." Aru-chan complimented.

"Thanks. Now come on, we have a mission."

"Right."

Aki had called the girl the night before to arrange for them to spend the day spying on Hiro and Ayaka. Aki had heard from (as in threatened to perform voodoo on) Shuichi that Hiro was spending the whole day with his girlfriend and that they had a whole schedule planned out. Aki had extracted said schedule from her older brother and recruited her friend for a day of spying and attempts to break the couple up.

"So, where are we off to first?" Aru-chan asked.

"Well, they were going to meet at Le Cafe for lunch at 1:00 pm." Aki said.

"It's 12:50 now." Aru-chan said, checking her watch.

"Right. Then let's go." The two took off. They arrived at Le cafe 20 minutes later, both wearing berets, long coats, and dark glasses. They found Hiro and Ayaka easily as the two were seated outside and in front, and sat at the table nearest them. The other two had already been served and Hiro was currently feeding his girlfriend a forkful of salad. Aki glared at them from behind her menu.

"Can I help you?" came a voice. The girls looked up to see the waiter.

"Don't order anything too big." Aki hissed at her friend.

"I know, I know." Aru-chan whispered back. They both ordered the cheapest things on the menu and the waiter left. Aki's attention immediately shifted back to the couple. Hiro was again feeding Ayaka another bite of salad. Oh how Aki wished she was Ayaka at that moment.

"Dammit." She mumbled.

"What is it?" Aru-chan asked, glancing over her shoulder. She noticed the two and felt her own insides twisting in jealousy. She herself was a Hiro fangirl.

"Here you are." The waiter said, returning with their food.

"Thanks" The girls said in unison, not taking their eyes off of the couple. They kept watching the two, and when Hiro grabbed Ayaka's hand and started gently stroking the top of it with his thumb on top of their table so that the girls could see, Aki stabbed her fork into a crouton in her salad with just a little more force than what wound be needed to split the table.

A few minutes later, the couple had gotten out of their seats and left. Aki and Aru-chan waited for the pair to pass their table before hopping out of their seats to tail them without even thinking about the bill.

They followed the two across town to a miniature golf course. They followed them in and around the course. They stared with envy at Hiro "helping" Ayaka with her swing by standing behind her and swinging the club with her. By the time Ayaka and Hiro had finished, it was 4:00 and Aki and Aru-chan were at the seventeenth hole. They dropped their clubs and followed them around town to a movie theater.

The movie was the most boring thing in the world to Aki, and apparently that's how it was to Ayaka and Hiro as well because they spent the whole time making out. As Aki and Aru-chan watched from two rows back, they felt disgusted at the behavior but also incredibly jealous of Ayaka.

"This is gross and unfair." Aki mumbled somewhere in the middle of the movie. She reached into the popcorn bag and took out a handful. When she didn't shove it in her mouth, Aru-chan began to wonder.

"You're not going to..." she whispered.

"Oh yes." Aki assured her. Aru-chan grinned.

"Lemme help." She offered, taking a handful herself.

"On the count of three."

"One... two..."

"Three!" they said in unison, and launched their handfuls. They hit their target dead on, and the couple looked behind them. Aki and Aru-chan gave their full attention to the screen and slowly took sips of their sodas. Hiro and Ayaka looked around but found no one suspicious looking. When they turned their attention back to the screen, Aki and Aru-chan broke into silent giggles. They stopped when they noticed Hiro picking popcorn kernels out of Ayaka's hair and popping them into his mouth. It wasn't long until they were sucking face again.

After what felt like too long, the movie was over and Hiro and Ayaka were at a fancy restaurant for dinner. This time, however, Aki and Aru-chan didn't order anything. Not only were neither of them hungry, but nothing on the menu was within their budget for the moment. They didn't even have enough money between them to split a side order. But even if they had had enough money, they wouldn't have ordered anything. By now, Hiro and Ayaka were being so lovey dovey, that it was impossible for the two to take their eyes off of them.

They had been holding hands and giggling at each other's pathetic attempts at humor all day, but now they had settled into staring into each other's eyes, Hiro's lips mouthing sweet words to his girlfriend that Aki had dreamed of hearing from him her whole life. The jealousy was driving her mad and she wanted so desperately to be in Ayaka's place.

Now the two were leaning into each other across the table, slowing inching toward on another. Aru-chan didn't seem as irked by it as Aki did, even though she was staring at the couple as well. But when their lips connected, Aki couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry Aru-chan. I have to go." She said quietly, getting up from the table and leaving.

"Aki!" Aru-chan called out, but it was too late. She sighed and cast a cold glare at Ayaka before leaving herself.

**MOMENTS LATER!**

Aki stood in the doorway to her house, leaning against the frame and crying silently. She had always known that chasing after Hiro was a lost cause and that she would most likely never be his girlfriend, and while she had seen them sucking face in the movie theater, this kiss he shared with Ayaka hurt more than anything. In the theater, it was dark and Aki couldn't see Hiro's face. In the restaurant she could see his face perfectly and the obvious how he enjoyed it. It was then that it had really set in that he would never love her like how he loved Ayaka.

"Dammit." Aki muttered, slamming her fist on the door frame before sliding down to her knees, sobbing.

* * *

I bet all you Hiro fangirls love me, now, don'tcha:D 


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later, Aki arrived at NG before anyone else. She had gone home after school merely to change out of her uniform and drop off her school bag before coming here. She ran into Sakano at one point and he said that the rest of the band wasn't there yet and that K was currently making phone calls to schedule the press conference that would announce her joining. He had said that she could wait in the recording studio if she wanted to and practice some songs. She half smiled and started making her way in that direction. Sakano had wondered why that was the only time she showed any hint of emotion during their conversation.

Now Aki was making her way toward the studio, but taking her time doing so. Her face was completely blank, absent of all emotion. It was a face that she had worn once before, which was during the days following her announcement that she wanted to go to America. She liked this face a lot because it allowed her to seem completely inconspicuous, despite that fact that she was being torn up inside. She was still irked by what she had seen on Sunday... No, irked wasn't the word. More like devastated. But the point was that she wasn't happy, and certainly wasn't looking forward to seeing Hiro today. She was glad that she had ballet class yesterday and used that as an excuse to skip out on rehearsal. But today, she had no excuse and could only arrive early.

"Why did you even bother Aki?" She muttered to herself as she stopped in an empty hallway. She leaned against a wall and hid her face behind her hands. "You've always known that chasing after Hiro was a lost cause. So why did you even bother if you knew you were going to end up with a broken heart in the end?" Her shoulders started to shake in dry sobs, but before any tears could come out of her eyes, she heard the sound of a piano. It was playing a familiar tune, but a sad one.

She followed her ears until she was at the recording studio. She peeked inside and saw Suguru at his synth. She took a step in and silently watched him. He was amazing, despite the fact that he was merely playing on the piano setting, with nothing else enhancing the sound. His fingers danced gracefully on the keys, each touch producing a wonderful sound that made Aki want to dance.

"Swan Lake." she said out loud when Suguru was finished. The boy looked up at her, startled.

"Aki! I didn't see you there... Wait, you know Swan Lake?" He said when he saw her.

"Yeah, that's the music for the dying swan." Aki recalled.

"How do you know that?" Fujisaki questioned.

"Well, I take ballet, so of course I know what Swan Lake is." Aki reminded him. He vaguely remembered that she hadn't come to the studio yesterday because she had a ballet class. "But what surprises me more is that you know how to play it."

"What, you think that just because I'm in a hit pop band that I don't know any classical music?" He asked with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"No, I just didn't think you'd know how to play it." She said stepping fully into the room.

"Well of course I'd know how-" He started.

"Play it again." Aki demanded. Fujisaki gave her a look. "Play it again." She repeated. The boy did as he was told while Aki quickly slipped off her shoes.

At the sound of the music, she started dancing. Her ballet teacher had taught them the dance of the dying swan a few times in class just for practice, but now every time Aki heard the music for it, she couldn't help but dance out the steps. Her arms moved fluidly, and almost gave the illusion that she had wings. Her feet touched the ground so lightly that it looked as though any moment she could take off and fly away. The smooth transition of her movements made it appear as though she could at any minute fully transform into a swan.

Finally, as the song ended, and Aki finished sitting gracefully on the ground, one leg out in front of her, the other tucked underneath, the rest of her body folded over her outstretched leg.

"That was beautiful." Suguru told her as she slowly got up and put her shoes back on.

"You were watching? You should have been playing." Aki scolded, tying her shoe.

"Well, I have the fingerings memorized. I mean, I've only been playing that song for as long as I can remember." He said matter-of-factly.

"You're a nerd, you know that right?" She said, standing up.

"Hey!" He responded, walking over to her. When he got close enough, he could see tears streaking her face. "...What's wrong?" he asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong." She said, bowing her head and looking away from him.

"You're crying." He pointed out. He reached out to touch her face, but she backed away.

"I am not. Liar." She muttered.

"Yes you are." He said bluntly, reaching out again. She took another step back but he grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" She screamed, trying to jerk her arm away, but he held on. She glared at him, showing her face, which was moist with tears.

"Shindou-chan..." Suguru said quietly.

"So what?" She growled at him. "So what if I am crying? I have every right to. I mean it's not like my heart can take being broken easily. I mean the man I love doesn't love me back and he probably never will! I'll just have to live the rest of my life as a lonely old maid, always wondering how much better it would be if Hiro hadn't fallen in love with that vile woman!" She went off, her voice getting louder with each sentence.

"Sh-Shindou-chan. Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" He asked timidly. She glared at him.

"Overreacting? Overreacting! No I don't think I'm overreacting! I think that my one true love doesn't love me back and- whoa!" She had begun pacing, but tripped, landing on Suguru and toppling both of them over. He had landed in a sitting position and she in his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder.

"He never will." She finished in a whisper. Fujisaki took pity on her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shindou-chan..." He murmured as she cried onto his shoulder.

"Hoho, what do we have here?" boomed an eerily happy voice with an American accent. The two teens looked up to see K in the doorway to the studio, a smile almost splitting his face in two. Behind him stood a giddy-looking Shuichi, a smirking Hiro, and an uncomfortable looking Sakano. The teens both blushed as they quickly got up and separated themselves from each other, Aki's tears miraculously disappearing.

"It's not what you think! Suguru was only trying to... Er, well, you see... he was... um... t-trying to..." she stuttered, trying to explain what had happened without telling them about why she was crying.

"She tripped, and I tried to catch her. We both fell." Fujisaki answered truthfully.

"Then what was that 'Shindou-chan' thing all about huh?" Shuichi asked, mimicking the boy perfectly when he said "Shindou-chan".

"If you had been listening closely, you would've heard that I said it in a questioning tone. I was asking if she was okay." Suguru lied without hesitation.

"Yeah, sure Fujisaki." Hiro said, entering the room with Shuichi right behind him. "Well if you two are ready, we should start rehearsing. Aki needs to learn the music." The two teens nodded and moved to their instruments.

"Thanks Suguru-kun." Aki muttered when she passed him. He blushed slightly at how informally she addressed him.

"All right! Let's get this party started! First up! Glaring dream!" Shuichi shouted.

"Such a slow song for such a hyper boy." Everyone mumbled unison, although Shuichi didn't seem to notice.

He started singing as Fujisaki and Hiro played. After a few moments, Aki got the beat and improvised, but it sounded wonderful. Meanwhile, K and Sakano were still standing in the doorway. Sakano's expression had gone from uncomfortable to near tears as he heard Bad Luck play.

"I didn't think it was possible, but they actually sound _better_ now." Sakano choked, taking out a handkerchief from somewhere inside his coat and wiping his eyes with it.

"Yeah, Aki adds to it somehow. It's like, before, with just Fujisaki playing the beat, it was emptier. But now that we have an actual drum set, it sounds a lot different." K agreed.

"It's not just the addition of a drum set; it's the addition of the _drummer_." Came a voice. The two men looked behind them to see all of Nittle Grasper. Tohma was the one who had spoken.

"Ah! Tohma-sama!" Sakano bowed quickly before he noticed the other two. "And Noriko-san and Sakuma-san." He added, half-bowing to each of them respectively.

"Gee, nice of you to notice us." Noriko said sarcastically. Sakano let out a nervous laugh.

"Who's she?" Ryuichi asked eagerly, pointing to Aki. "Is she going to join Shuichi's band?"

"That's Aki Shindou, and yes, she's going to join Shuichi's band." K answered. Ryuichi scratched his head.

"Shindou, Shindou..." He repeated. Then it hit him. "Hey! That's the same name Shuichi has! Is she his sister or something?" He asked K with enthusiasm.

"Exactly." K answered. Ryuichi grinned and ran into the studio, halting the music to glomp Aki even though she was sitting down.

"Sakuma-san!" Shuichi exclaimed. Ryuichi turned to him.

"Shuichi!" he shouted back. "I met your sister! We're friends now!"

"Friends, what? Sakuma? Ryuichi?" Aki said in halted sentences. Once she realized that it was indeed the famous Ryuichi Sakuma hugging her, she squealed and hugged him back, honored to be picked to be his friend.

During the commotion, the three men and Noriko stayed in the doorway, watching the scene.

"What do you mean it's the drummer, Tohma-sama?" Sakano asked, turning to Seguchi.

"Well, we could have just pulled anyone off the streets and told them to play drums and they could, but it's a player's personal touch that can make all the difference in sound quality. It is Aki who is making it sound better, not her drum set. Kind of like when Suguru plays my songs; even though it's the same notes, it still sounds different because it's him playing them, not me." Tohma explained. Sakano already knew that, but acted surprised all the same.

"Yup, and if me or Tohma ever tried to play one of Bad Luck's songs, it would sound different." Noriko added. Sakano paid no attention to her. She glared at him, but K put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let it go." He said. "He's only interested in what Seguchi has to say." Noriko sighed, knowing that he was right, but turned her attention back to the hug fest inside the recording studio. Ryuichi had managed to pull Aki away from the drum set over to Shuichi, with Hiro somehow being caught in during the process, and was hugging all three of them (Hiro against his will) while Suguru stayed close to a wall, trying not to be noticed.

"But they really do sound better. Well, they did until Ryuichi bounded in there." She complimented.

"Yup. It seems as though Seguchi actually knows what he's doing from time to time." K agreed.

"Tohma picked her out?" Noriko asked.

"Well, he thought that we needed a drummer, we were just lucky she came at that particular moment." K told her.

"Ah." Was all she said in response. "Ryuichi! No, don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where that's been!" She shouted suddenly when she noticed the singer chewing on one of Aki's drumsticks.

"Yes I do, it's been on the drum set!" Ryuichi said. Noriko held out her hand while giving him a stern look.

"Aww..." he pouted, handing Aki her drumstick. The girl took it and stared up at Noriko.

"N-Noriko Ukai-san?" She stuttered.

"That's me!" She said cheerily, smiling. Aki bowed.

"Oh wow, you're like, my idol! It's a great honor to meet you!" She said. Noriko smiled and patted her head.

"You're going to have some girl saying that to you one day." She told her. Aki looked up and blushed.

"You really think so?" She asked eagerly.

"Oh yeah. It's our destiny as musical goddesses!" She added cheesily. Aki laughed, but was cut off by Ryuichi glomping her.

"Noriko, you're Aki's new friend too?" The man asked her.

"You bet Ryu-chan!" Noriko assured him, giving him a thumbs up.

"Yay!" He squealed, hugging the girls.

"We really need to get some work done." Fujisaki dared to say out loud, hoping that Shuichi would be the only one to hear him. Unfortunately Ryuichi was the only one who heard him.

"Suguru-kun!" He called "Stop hiding! Come and play!" And in three seconds later, the boy had been scooped up in a hug and dragged him to the center of the room with everyone else.

K now stood alone in the doorway, Sakano and Tohma had long since wandered off somewhere, so now K was watching the scene inside the studio with amusement. Aki Shindou was joining Bad Luck. The press conference was scheduled and her contract was being written. He almost pitied her for what was going to happen to her now that she was on the verge of fame. But, she'd get used to it, so he didn't pay much attention to the thought. And so he turned and left to track down Sakano and Seguchi to make sure they weren't doing anything wrong.

* * *

OhEmJeE! Happy chapter le gasp. If you were able to read past the first part sweatdrop

One chapter left! But I'm going to have bonus chapters after the story so don't worry.


	6. Chapter 6

The italics are an email sent by Aki...

* * *

_Aurora-_

_You won't believe what's happened to me since I've come back to Japan! You know how my brother has a band? Well, it really has become famous. And what's more, I've joined it! You know how I told the story of why I wanted to go to America? Well, it must've put Shuichi on a guilt trip or something because I'm now the drummer! Oh and Shuichi's synth has been replaced by a guy named Fujisaki who's a really nice guy (and kinda cute too :giggle: ). But anyway, here's what happened during my first press conference, when I became an official member of Bad Luck..._

"So little sis, you ready?" Shuichi asked Aki.

"Just to warn you, they'll tear you to shreds if you say even one wrong word, so be careful." Hiro told her. She nodded.

"Whatever you do, don't let them see you sweat." Suguru added. Aki smiled.

"Come on guys, have some faith in me!" She said confidently. "I've already officially joined, but if I can't handle my first press conference, then my contract might as well be ripped up right now!"

"Thatta girl!" Shuichi squealed, hugging his sister.

"It runs in the family big brother!" She cried hugging him back. Hiro and Suguru sweatdropped.

_More than just confidence runs in the family._ They thought.

"It's time." Sakano said, poking his head into the room they were waiting in. The four nodded and walked out to face the reporters.

"Good Luck!" K wished them as they passed him. No one reacted as they continued on their way. When they got there, Aki's eyes widened at the sea of people and cameras.

"Oh... my... god..." She said quietly.

"Hm. Fairly small crowd this time." Hiro said.

"Small? Exactly how popular are you guys?" Aki snapped, running up to Hiro and grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Well, usually we have a zillion fan girls who've snuck in as well." Shuichi said to her. She let go of Hiro and looked at her brother for a moment before sighing dejectedly.

They all sat down a long table and flashes started going off; cameras started rolling. Shuichi started by leaning into of the microphone in front of him speaking into it.

"Thank you. Hello, I'm sure you're wondering why we have called this press conference. Well, we know that ever since Fujisaki joined, there have been rumors circling about a new member joining the band. And now we're proud to say that those rumors are now true! Introducing the newest member of Bad Luck, Aki Shindou!" Shuichi gestured to his younger sister, sitting at the other end of the table. Immediately, the cameras started flashing again, focused primarily on Aki this time. Voices of reporters started shouting, trying to ask her their questions. Aki acknowledged one of them and everyone fell silent.

"Shindou-san said that your surname is Shindou as well. Are you two related?" She asked. Aki cast a glance at her other band members, who nodded. She then glanced over at K and Sakano, who were standing just out of view of the reporters, and they both nodded as well.

Aki had been told that until after her first few press conferences and interviews, after each question directed at her, she was to get the approval of the rest of Bad Luck and her producer and manager.

"Yes, I am related to Shuichi. I'm his little sister, actually." More flashes and shouting.

"Shindou-chan! May I ask exactly how old you are?" Aki looked at Bad Luck, but they didn't seem sure, so she turned to K and Sakano. K mouthed "Fujisaki" and she nodded.

"Well, let's just say I'm no older than Mr. synth player here." She answered, poking Fujisaki in the ribs, as he was sitting next to her. Again with the flashes and shouting.

"What exactly are you going to do as a new member of Bad Luck?" Asked another reporter. Everyone knew this question was going to be brought up, so Aki didn't need to get permission to answer it.

"I'm going to be the drummer!" She shouted enthusiastically, getting a chuckle from the crowd.

"When can we expect the first performance from you?" Another asked. Before Aki could say anything, Hiro had answered it.

"You'll just have to wait and see when our next concert is." He said.

And so the press conference went on like that. Nearly all of the questions were for Aki, a few to Shuichi only to find out about things that they didn't think she would tell them. A couple went to Hiro to ask about his reaction to her joining which he half lied about. And only one to Fujisaki to ask how he felt about part of his skills being replaced. He laughed that one off.

By the time it was over, Aki was trembling with excitement. It had been officially announced; she was a member of Bad Luck! She remembered her childhood, when her brother and his friend wanted to start their own band, and how she wanted too as well. She remembered the day she had thought of being the drummer, and how excited she felt. Now she was just as excited, and knew that nothing was going to go wrong now. She wasn't going to be told no anymore. And that got her more worked up than anything ever would.

"Shindou-chan!" Suguru called. Aki was the last to get out of her seat, and so the other members had passed her on their way out. She stared at the boy before breaking out in a run. Just before she got to him, she jumped up and glomped him.

"I'm so happy!" She squealed, oblivious to the cameras that had started up again, snapping pictures of the two hugging.

"U-um, o-okay then. But I-I think we should, um, you know, l-leave now." He told her, blushing uncontrollably.

"Oh! Right. Come on then." she grabbed his hand and ran off, dragging him behind her. She was happy. She had finally achieved one of her goals in life. To show up the one who had broken her heart, not that Hiro would care much now, but he had told her no back then, and now... Well, he was wrong for once, Aki was happy about that.

**A FEW DAYS LATER!**

A young, amateur reporter was going through some photos that a partner of hers took of Bad Luck's last press conference. Her name was Ai and she was obsessed with Bad Luck. Or, rather, Suguru Fujisaki of Bad Luck. The entertainment column that she did in an amateur magazine was constantly featuring Bad Luck with special emphasis on Suguru.

"What a pathetic turnout. Everything's just this new chick." She muttered, tossing each picture with out Fujisaki in it over her shoulder. But as she neared the end, she found a picture that caught her eye.

It was of Fujisaki all right, but with Aki giving him a big hug, the other two members of the band absent in the photo. This image got her fuming mad.

"Who does this new chick think she is?" the girl shouted, outraged. She ripped the picture in half, separating Aki from Suguru. She took out a lighter and burned the half with Aki on it.

"I'll teach you a lesson, Aki Shindou." She growled menacingly. "Now that you've become famous, I'll make your life a living hell. No one touches my Suguru." And with that, she threw her head back and let out a maniacal laugh.

"Shut it Ai!" someone yelled at her, sticking their head into the room and throwing a random book at her. It got her in the head and she fell down, quite unconscious. "Stupid, crazy brat." the person muttered before shutting the door on her.

* * *

Well, that's it! This story is over! (But there are going to be bonus chapters, so maybe this isn't the end yet.)

But wait, this doesn't seem like the end, you say? "You've just introduced an antagonist, and you're calling this the end" you ask? Well that's because this is not the end! Now you must go and read CeaselessChasm's The Niece! It is the sequel to this story! It tells about Aki's best friend, Aurora, how Aurora changes her name to that of a male, how Aki's and Fujisaki's relationship develops, what exactly this Ai chick has planned, and the fate of Ayaka! And don't be afraid to comment on every chapter. We've been updating our stories together on purpose so you guys can read the whole sequel without waiting for updates! So go read it now! And comment on it!


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